In large scale manufacturing processes, e.g., automobile manufacturing, welding operations are typically performed by robotic welding systems. A robotic welding system may have two or more welding apparatuses that perform welding operations on one or more pieces of material, e.g., metal. By way of example and not of limitation, the welding apparatuses may include resistance welding guns and the robotic welding system thus may have two or more resistance welding guns. The robotic welding apparatus may correspond to a welding station in a manufacturing facility. The welding apparatuses can be robotically controlled to move to different areas to perform subsequent welding operations. Each particular welding operation can require a different current draw to perform a particular welding operation. For instance, a small gauge weld on a single work piece may require a lesser current draw than a seam weld on a plurality of work pieces or larger gauge work.
Welding apparatuses such as resistance welding guns present large inductive loads when they are energized, which are reflected back to the power bus to which the welding apparatuses are coupled, thereby reducing power factor. To compensate, capacitor banks may be provided for power factor correction. Also an issue that may arise when more than one welding apparatus is performing a welding operation at a given time is that the amount of current being drawn by the welding apparatuses at that given time may exceed a maximum amount of instantaneous current that can be efficiently provided. The capacitor banks may then supply additional current in these situations. Capacitor banks, however, are expensive to purchase and maintain. Further, capacitor banks require a significant amount of floor space in a factory.